PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7164, 1 November 1884, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

ger telegraph.—own cobbsspokdent.] Wellington, 'jTriday. THE BEETROOT SUGAR BILL. Ajtee communication was interrupted on tie Beetroot Sugar Bill, Mr. Lake, as an amendment to clause 3, moved the excision of the word "fifteen." with the view to insert the word "seven," which would make the time within which any excise duty should be levied on colonial-made sngar seven years instead of fifteen. Mr. <*rigg supported the amendments- Mr. Moss moved a further amendment, the effect of which would be to eliminate the clause from the Bill, -which was lost. The committee divided on the question that the word "fifteen," proposed to be omitted, stand part of the clause, with the following resalt: Ayes, 42 ; noes, 16. Dr. Newman moved a further amendment to introduce, after the word "sorghum," the words "or any other substance." The motion was lost onthe voices. The qnestion that the clause as printed stand part of the Bill was carried on the voices. The committee divided on the question that clanse 4 stand part of tbe Bills with the following result: Ayes, 32 ; noes, 30. The clause was retained. The Bill was reported with amendments, which were ordered to be considered on the following day. THE .GOVERNMENT AND THE NEW ZEALAND SHIPPING COMPANY. The proposed contract with the New Zealand Shipping Company is to extend for five years. I'he company is to convey all mails which the Postmaster-General may require them to convey at any time between Plymouth (England) and either of the ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers (in New Zealand), and any intermediate ports at which, the company's steamers may call. The company are to keep ready for such purpose the steamers Raapehu, Tongariro, Aorangi, Eaikoura, and Rimntaka, provided that, in case of accident, the company may use a substi-tute-vessel, which shall not (except in any special case, with the permission of the Postmaster-General) be of less than 2500 gross tonnage. Powers of inspection of the vessel, &c, are given to the PostmasterGeneral, and a four-weekly service, alternating with the Sao Francisco service, is stipulated for, the intent being that regular fortnightly mail communication, as nearly as possible, between New Zealand and the United Kingdom should be maintained. The Postmtßter-General, on payment of £200, is entitled, if necessary, to delay the sailing of a steamer for 24 hours for the conveyance of mails. Under this contract the Post-master-General will pay to the company at the following rates :—Letters, 12s per lb. ; packets. Is per lb. ; newspaper*, ]&& per lb. Provided that the payments hereby agreed to be made shall be open to be reconsidered in the event of the Postmaster - General of Great Britain retaining for that' department more than the equivalent of the British inland rate of postage on the outward correspondence, or deciding to allowfc he colony a larger share of the outward postages, or in the case of the colony of New Zealand proposing to reduce its rates of postage; but suoh reconsideration shall only cake effect; after the Postmaster-General has given six calendar months' previous notice in writing to the company of his intention ho to do. It is also agreed that all mail matter posted in New Zealand between the date of despatch of the San Franoisco mail and the departure of the vessels under this contract shall, unless specially addressed to be forwarded by another route, be sent by such contract vessels. This shall alto apply to correspondence posted in the United Kingdom and Ireland, so far as the Post-. master-General of New Zealand may be able to influence the Imperial Post Office authorities, provided that nothing in this clause shall be deemed to give the company any olaim against the Postmaster-General in the event of the postal authorities in Great Britain sending any such mail matter by a different route. In case of the loss of any of the mails by wreck of any mail vessel.or otherwise, the company shall with all possible despatch at their own cost take all such measures as may reasonably be done to recover the mails so lost. The mails are to be conveyed from Plymouth to a New Zealand port in 1000 hours, and from the final port of departure in New Zealand to Plymouth in 1008 heurs. The company to receive a bonus of £5 for every hour in which it is [ performed less than these timee, and to pay 1 a fine of £4 for evory hour that the mail is overdue. It a steamer is not ready to put to sea at the specified time the company are to pay by way of liquidated damages £200, and £50 for each 24 hours that the steamer is delayed. The Postmaster - General is to have the power of remission or reduotion, and the maximum penalty for any one month is not to exceed £1000. During the continuance of the contract all steam vessels employed therein are to be exempt from the payment of light dues at New Zealand ports, and also from the payment of harbour dues as defined by the Harbours Act, 1877, at the first port of arrival in the colony. In case of breach of covenant by the company, or great or hab'tual non-observance of the contract, the Poßtroaster-Generai may terminate it without notice, the company, however, having the right to snbmit tbe question whether hie action is justifiable to arbitration. The same power of reference is also given in regard to disputes generally. If the company shall fail to commence the performance of the services, or having commenced the eame, shall refuse or wilfully neglect to carry on the same, the company shall forfeit to the PostmasterGeneral the snm of. £7500 as by way of liquidated damages, THE BEETROOT SUGAR BILL. The Post to-night strongly approves of the I Beetroot Sugar Bill. It speaks in high terms of the pamphlet published by Mr. W. A. Graham, of Waikato, on the subject. Its author, and his brother, Mr. G. S. Graham, were referred to on Wednesday night by Sir J. Vogel in bis speech when moving the second reading of tbe Bill. LIGHTS AT MANUKAU. Replying to Mr. Hamlin as to whether, in. view of the recent application of the Northern Shipping Company to have guiding lights placed at the Ma&ukau Heads, Government will notify the determination of the Government on the subject to the company, Mr. Stout said Government intended to have a special report made on the subject. If that report were favourable the work to be carried out. Ley telegraph.—press association.] The House resumed at half-past seven. BEAD JIRST TIMK. The following Bills were introduced arid read a first time :—The Property Tax Bill, and the .New Zealand Loan Bill. WAHANOI. Mr. Ballanoe informed the House that it was proposed that Wabanui should be heard at the bar of the House to-morrow at eleven o'olock. BEKTEOOT SUQAR. The Beetroot Sugar Bill was read a third time, and passed. CONSOLIDATED STOCK BILL. Sir J. Vooel moved the eecond reading of the Consolidated Stock BUI. He said the object of the Bill was explained in the Financial Statement. The Bill had been framed to give immediate relief to the consolidated revenue. It was also intended | that conversion of stock should be carried on' in the moat beneficial manner possible. Sir Julius referred to the whole position of the permanent debt and sinking fund at considerable length. He explained that the operation of the Bill was to suspend the pressure of the sinking fund, and to convert the loans outstanding on the 31st of March into intcribed stock. He pointed out that a great deal of power was' put into the hands of the Colonial Treasurer by the.Bill. After detailing the provisions of the Bill, he said the Government desired to give expression to the opinions expressed by several members of the Ho.uae oh previous oosssions. Tho proposaf would enable them to do without extra taxation, to remit half the property tax, and to propose for the future a finance unburdened with funded debt to be converted into a floating debt. Major Atkinson said the first question he would ask the House wae, .what wm the Bill wanted for at all ? He nubmitted that the Treasurer, either in the Financial Statement or on the present occasion, had not given one good reason for the passing of the Bill. Tho Bill really authorises the House to adopt that very old and bad principle of borrowing to pay our debts. The House, if 'it adopted the Bill, would throw away the opportunity of framing the finances on a right basis. He thought it [would not be the last they would hear of

this. Everyone knew that, in London, New Zealand waa regarded as a most extravagant colooy, and it was said, with truth, that they were now shirking a responsibility which they had incurred. The Treasurer had said he must restore the" propertied -classes to their proper position, and do away with tbe. obnoxious property tax. He submitted that before the Bill was passed some better reason should be shown for-it. When the Treasurer took office he undertook to put the finances on a better footing, bat wai the present Bill to be considered a relief? He thought the House should be informed by the Treasurer how soon he meant to make the inscriptions. They should wait for the ordinary operation of the Stock Act to relieve them of their burden. The most objectionable feature in the Bill waa the power given to the Treasurer to deal with the money entirely, and another objection waa the large amount which the Treasurer would be able to raise on his own responsibility, even so much as twenty millions, He hsid trespassed on the House at greater length than üBUal because he felt so strongly on the matter. He felt they were going into most dangerous ground. A very little might oauss serious disaster.) He hoped the House would reject the Bill, because he thought it was tho greatest blow that had ever been aimed at the credit of New Zealand. He moved that the Bill be read that day six months. j Mr. Moss was glad to see that the member far Egmont bad at last realised the fact that there were disputable questions in the Financial Statement. Bβ objected to the Bill before the House, and criticised its provision* at some length. He said section 10; of the Bill gave tbe Treasurer extraordinary power. It gave him power to raise three millions of money, which would enable the Government to come down next session, and say they had so much money that there was no need for taxation. The Bill proposed to convert no less than seventeen millions of debentures, fie hoped the Bill would be materially altered in committee. Sir J. Vogbli denied that the Bill proposed to seize the sinking fund. He also combatted the assertion that the Bill authorised borrowing to pay the debt. The motto of the member for Egmont appeared to be to wait till something turned up, but he thought they need not wait. It was perfectly right to convert the accrued fund as it was accruing, as there was not a single colony that had paid off its debt. There was nothing in the argument that the credit of New Zealand would suffer by the proposal of the Bill. As regarded the absolute liabilities which the Government had to deal with, the authorship of them rested with the late Government. These obligations amounted to ten millions, more or less. He referred in detail to the argument adduced against the Bill, and said it was impossible under this Bill that the' public debt would be increased except in clause 4. If it were thought desirable, he would not object to the Governor-in-Cimncil being inserted in clause 10, initead of tbe Colonial Treasurer, to issue the aeveu years debentures. There would be also no objection, if the Bill went into committee, •to limit the power of the Colonial Treasurer under the Bill to any amount that the House might think fit. He trusted the second reading of the Bill would be carried. He dreired to do full justice to the ■manner in which the member for Egmont had discharged the duties of leader of the Opposition all through the session, and also to tbe way in which he had criticised the Bill now before the House. Mr. Barbon said he could not vote for the amendment, but he reserved to hio.eelf the right to criticise the Bill in committee. Mr. Montgomery spoke to the same effeot. The motion for the second reading was then put and oarried on division :—Ayes, 43; noes, 15. The amendment was, therefore, lost. The following in the division list: Ayes : Allwright; Ballance, Barron, Be van, Bradshaigh Bradshaw, Brown, Cadman, Cowan, Duncan, Fraser, Garrick, Gillies, Grigg, Guinness, Harper, Holmes, Johnston, Joyoe, Lance, Larnach, McKenzie, J. (Moeraki). McMillan, Montgomery, O'Callaghan, O'Connor, Ormorid, Pere, Pyke, Beese, Richardson, E. (Kaiapoi), Richardson, G. F. (.Vlataura), Ross, Samuel, Seddon, Shrimski, Smith, Steward, W. J. (Waimate), Stewart, W. J. (Dunedin West), Stout, Sutter, Taiaroa, Thompson, T. (Auckland North), Tole, Turnbull, Vogol, Walker, White, W. (Sydenham). Noes. 15: , Atkinson, Bryce, Buchanan, W. F. Buckland (FrankJiu North), Fergus, Hakuene, Hatch, H. Hirst (Wallace), Hobbs, Lake. Mitchelsou, KoUeaton, J. W. Thomson (Clutha), Trimble, Wakefield. TIMKEK FLOATAGE EIX.L. The Housa then went into committee on tho Timber Floatage Bill. The Bill passed through committee with •verbal amendments. THK IMPOUNDING BILL. The Impounding Bill was further considered in committee. Clause 10, "Cattle wandering at largo on roads," elicited a long discussion. Mr. Guinness moved to strike out after the words "in any roade," the words "fenced on both sides."—The amendment was negatived. In clause 45, penalty for illegally impounding cattle, Mr. Stout moved to strike out the words relating to imprisonment for six months.—Agreed to. In clause 47, penalty for lesser offences, Mr. Stout moved to strike out " penalty not exceeding five pounds," with a view of inserting " penalty not exceeding ten pounds," and to omit the portion of the clause relating to imprisonment for one month.—Agreed to. In clanse 48, party using cattle without consent of owner, Mr. Stout moved to insert the words " whilst impounded."—Agreed to. The Bill was reported with amendments. BIVER BOARDS BILL. The House went into committee on the River Boards* Bill. Progress was reported. The House rose at a quarter past one a.m.